The present invention relates to nanopores, and more specifically, to nanopore coatings.
Nanopores having nanometer dimensions can provide information on the chemical nature of analytes, e.g., deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), proteins, and other biomolecules. Solid-state nanopore devices can include a substrate, or membrane, having at least a single aperture, “nanopore,” or “nanochannel,” which separates the cis and trans chambers, which are filled with an electrolyte solution. The particular dimensions and compositions of nanopore structures and devices are tailored to the desired application.
In operation, an electrical potential difference is generated between the electrolyte solutions separated by the substrate containing the pore by applying a voltage, and the ionic current through the nanopore is measured. Subsequently, passage of analytes through the nanopore induces fluctuations in the measured open pore current level. A detected fluctuation, or a change in detected signal, indicates passage of one or more single molecules of an analyte through the nanopore, which can also be referred to as a translocation event. Alternatively, the molecule may either remain within the nanopore due to a binding event resulting in a sustained change in the signal. When the analyte binds and then leaves the nanopore, the signal then returns to the open pore current level, which is a translocation event.
Translocation and receptor-analyte binding data within the nanochannel can reveal properties about analytes. Indirect measurement techniques of binding of the analyte to a receptor site inside the nanochannel, such as electrical methods described above, can provide valuable information about the chemical and biological nature of many small chemical and biochemical compounds. The inner surface of nanochannels can include coatings, or functional layers, which can be chosen or configured to interact with a predetermined analyte of interest during translocation through the nanochannel.